Page 4 of Shade
"None of that was your fault. If you hadn't been there, he would've killed me," I said matter-of-factly, making Shade hiss. He didn't reply, though, and I pressed my cheek harder into his palm. "Please don't disappear again."
"I won't," Shade promised after a long pause, and I hoped he wouldn't change his mind. I didn't think I could bear losing him again.
"So...what is this place?" I asked finally, deciding a change of topic would benefit us both.
I could feel Shade brighten because the whole couch bounced with him as he did an excited shimmy. "Oh, it's just about the best place in the world."
"Yeah?"
"Yes! We call it the Sanctuary. It's a pocket dimension created by a powerful sorcerer named Zephyr Morrigan, whom most people call 'Headmaster.' You must've walked through a hallway, right?"
I nodded, and he hummed, his thumb rubbing under my eye again and again in a move I didn't think he was aware of.
"That hallway leads into different areas like a forest, a desert, the ocean, and others, and is home to all kinds of supes who can't live in the human world because of their appearance or powers."
I'd known since I was six that there was more in the world than just humans, but Shade was the only supernatural being I'd ever met. I wondered what the others were like, and if they would send me away if they found me. I didn't want to leave Shade again, but I also knew I couldn't live here. Shade had hidden me from that man earlier, but he couldn't hide me forever. What would happen then?
Shade
Leaving Diego was the hardest thing I'd ever done. I'd never thought I would see him again, much less as a handsome young man. My shadows were drawn to him in a way they'd never been before, and I wondered if it was because Diego was someone I'd known before, or because of something else.
I told Diego everything he wanted to know about the Sanctuary, not willing to keep any secrets from him. Finding him again—or him finding me—was nothing short of a miracle, and I wasn't going to reject this gift from the universe.
I didn't know how the others would react when they found out about my connection to Diego, but I wasn't going to let anyone stop me from seeing him. If the headmaster told me he couldn't allow Diego entry, I would leave the Sanctuary. I'd made some wonderful friends here, and I would miss them, but Diego was more important to me than anything in the world.
In all the time we'd been apart, a day hadn't gone by where I hadn't wondered about him, hadn't hoped he was safe and happy. If I'd known I'd left some of my shadows with him, I might've tried to reach them so I could keep an eye on Diego, just so I'd know he was doing well.
But he was here now, and I wasn't going to lose him again. He was my human, had been since he was six, since he first saw me and didn't shrink back, didn't fear me.
To this day, I didn't know what had made me follow him home that day, hiding away in his shadow and then under his bed. Maybe it was watching him play alone in the park and relating to him in a way I never had with a human, or the sadness apparent on his face. Maybe I'd just been curious.
I hadn't meant to stay, but then Diego had treated me with kindness, not like I was the monster literally hiding under his bed.
A bell rang out, startling both of us. Diego's cane slid to the floor, and I grabbed it, leaning it against the couch again as I explained, "It's the dinner bell. Someone will be here shortly with my food."
"Dinner? What time is it?" he asked, surprised, and I glanced up at the clock I'd hung from a tree nearby. Since I was the only one who lived in this place, I'd turned the whole area into my home instead of building a house. That way, I could sleep under the stars and experience the world in a way I couldn't outside.
"It's a little past six," I said, and Diego swore.
"I've been here all day? I need to go home," he murmured, and my heart sank. I couldn't expect him to just stay, but a part of me had still hoped.
"You could stay for dinner," I suggested, but he shook his head, then frowned.
"I'm sorry. It's just...I have a demanding cat who needs to be fed, and she's going to be mad I was out."
"Sounds like an expressive cat," I said, making him chuckle.
"She really is." He took a deep breath, then raised his head. "Can I come over again tomorrow?"
"Of course! Please do." I had half a mind to offer to come with him, but I didn't want to crowd him. Today had been a lot, and he might need some space to think.
Diego squeezed my hands, then let go and stood up, searching for his cane. He found it before I could assist, and then turned to me, a smile on his lips. "I'm so glad I found you."
"Me too. I'm sorry I left in the first place," I said, and he waved me off.
I made sure the coast was clear, and Diego left the area. I waited until I heard the main door close before relaxing. I wasn't sure why the door had let him in or out in the first place. He was human, and even with my shadows clinging to him, he wasn't supernatural enough to pass through those wards. Even Touya couldn't get through until the headmaster allowed it, and Touya was a human with some supe abilities.
There had to be something wrong with the wards. There had been issues all around the Sanctuary recently, and this could very well be one of them. While the others were mostly a nuisance, this could be an actual issue. What if the wards started letting in anyone with even a hint of magic in them? Or just anyone? It would be awful.
